St. Francis High School | College Preparatory

The group-counseling program at St. Francis High School is designed to meet the needs of all of our students. This year we again offer several groups. Group sizes are limited and registration is required. Please talk with your child about these groups. If you feel your child might profit from one of these groups or you would like to learn more about them,please contact Mrs. Rupp at extension 1104 or stop by in the Guidance & Counseling Department.

I: Short-term Groups for Freshmen and Transfer Students : these groups are intended to help students with the adjustment to a new school setting.

II: Ongoing Support Groups: these groups are intended for children who are dealing with difficult situations in their families, such as parents’ divorce, family conflict, etc. They are also intended for students who would like to work on personal issues such as depression, self-esteem, and social isolation. Ms. Rupp will be running this group, which will meet once a week throughout the school year.

III: Grief Group : this group is intended for students who have experienced a significant loss in their lives (death of a relative or friend). Ms. Rupp will be running this group, which will also meet once a week throughout the school year.

As in previous years, a short term freshman group will be offered during this year’s first semester. Starting at a new school can be a difficult time in a young person’s life. The excitement of “starting new” is mixed with the sadness of leaving familiar territory and friends. Students may be wondering: “What will it be like? Will I be wanted and accepted? Will people be friendly? Will I be successful?” Fears of change and being alone or excluded can be overwhelming for some young people. However, with encouragement and support, this transition can be a positive new start.

For all of the above reasons, the Guidance and Counseling Department will continue to offer the optional six-week group for freshmen. This group will meet once a week during rotating class periods so students never miss the same class. The transition group, run by counselors Angelika Rupp and Mary Kay Sullivan, will offer freshmen the opportunity to meet new people, to learn more about St. Francis, and to ask questions in a small, non-threatening environment. An additional component to the freshman group will be to help them work on some study skills and test taking techniques. Group size is limited and registration is required.

The freshman group will start in early to mid-September. If a freshman student wishes to participate in this group program, the student or parent must contact Mrs. Rupp in the Guidance Department no later than Tuesday, August 31. If you would like more information on this group or on any of the other support groups available at St. Francis, contact Mrs. Rupp at ext 1104.

Note that the alphabet division for counselors has changed from last year. It is listed below. Keep in mind that as a small school we can be flexible. If a student wants to remain with the same guidance counselor as in previous years, he or she is free to do so.

During this school year St. Francis will host an on-campus ACT preparation course that is offered by Revolution Prep. Revolution Prep is the leading test prep company in the state of California, surpassing Princeton Review and Kaplan in total enrollment. Revolution Prep has now expanded to other metropolitan areas, such as Atlanta, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, and Chicago. The rising success of Revolution Prep is attributed to their personal attention, strong instruction, attention to critical reading and problem solving, excellent web resources, and affordability. The course includes five full length practice tests. Because Revolution Prep believes that test preparation should be available to all students, they offer generous discounts to students who need scholarship assistance in order to take the course. Students who need financial assistance for a course should complete the financial aid form which is available on the Revolution Prep webiste. The financial aid application is due a few weeks before the start of the course so students seeking a course scholarship should apply for it as soon as possible.

To make test preparation more convenient for our students, courses will be offered at St. Francis on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 PM to 6 PM in room 1115. On days when students take practice tests the course runs until 7 PM. The fall course starts on September 13 and leads up to the October 22 exam. The winter course will start on December 13 and lead up to the February 11 exam. Classes will not meet during the week of final exams or Christmas vacation. There will also be a spring course to prepare students for the April test. A direct mailing from Revolution Prep will be sent to current juniors and seniors regarding these courses.

To register for the course or inquire about course scholarships, students should call (877) 738-7737 or go to www.revolutionprep.com.

St. Francis does not specifically endorse any particular test preparation program or only this program. There are many good options available to students, a number of which are listed on our Guidance webpage. St. Francis encourages students and parents to research several different programs and compare their philosophies, costs, and scheduling. Then select the one that is the best fit for the student.

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How to Process a College Application

As seniors begin the college application process it is important that students and parents review procedures for completing the application and submission of letters and transcripts. Mrs. Rigney will meet with all seniors in English class on Wednesday, August 24, and give each student a copy of the 2011 College Planning Guide. The essential parts of this document can be found in the sidebar menu of the St. Francis Student Services webpage. The URL for this site is the following:

http://www.sfhsnet.org/top/studentsvcs/guid-collegeplanning.htm.
This document includes a timeline for college planning and step by step instructions for the completion of a college application. We ask that students and parents carefully review these instructions and follow them precisely. Failure to do so will delay the processing of student documents and could result in missed deadlines.
Senior students should be in the process of completing their college search and narrowing their lists of potential colleges to 5 or 6 schools. At least two of these schools can be "reach" schools (i.e. schools to which the student may not be admitted but which are "worth a try"). Two should be fairly good options even if they do not guarantee admission for the student. Finally, at least two of the 6 schools should be "sure bets" (that is, affordable schools for which the student unquestionably meets admission criteria).
Once seniors have defined their lists of colleges, they should access the application through the college’s website. Most students complete the application online. When completing applications, students should follow the directions contained in their hard copy of the College Planning Guide or on the College Planning Guide posted on the Guidance page of the St. Francis website.
Beginning in fall of 2011 St. Francis is transitioning to the use of eDocs, electronic sending of documents, through the Naviance Family Connection program. Letters, forms and transcripts will be sent to most colleges admissions offices by St. Francis school personnel via the eDocs program. Therefore, it is essential that both students and parents are logged into Naviance and are well versed in how to use the program.Students will be responsible for following up with teachers to make sure that documents are sent on time.
Seniors need to be aware of admission deadlines for certain schools. For example, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Wisconsin, University of Michigan, and Indiana University have a priority deadline of November 1 and the application must be received by that date and all school documents must be postmarked by that date. This means that students must turn in their paperwork to Mrs. Rigney no later than October 20 to ensure that the deadline is met. These schools will still accept applications after the November 1 deadline but students who apply by that date receive first consideration for admission and scholarship.
Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Purdue University and DePaul University have a priority consideration deadline of November 15. This means students have the best chance for admission, scholarship or housing if applications are completed by that date. Students are wise to submit and mail all supporting documents well in advance of this deadline (around Nov. 1) to make sure that all materials are received on time.
Marquette, St. Louis University, and many other private colleges have a priority deadline of December 1. Schools which offer an early notification or early decision option usually have deadlines of November 1 or November 15. Always check the college’s application information to determine the deadlines for posting or receiving application materials. Students planning to apply to large in-state or out-of-state universities should also complete applications by Thanksgiving to insure priority consideration for admission and housing availability. Furthermore, since colleges cannot make financial aid offers until the student is admitted, timely admission means better consideration for available financial aid from the college.
For more information on college planning, go to the Guidance and Counseling page of the St. Francis website. Additional questions can be directed to Mrs. Trudy Rigney, College Counselor, at ext. 1105.

Students and parents are strongly urged to use the Naviance Family Connection college planning tool. St. Francis has licensing to use this web based program which provides assistance in all areas of the college search and application process. Beginning in fall of 2011, Naviance will also be used by St. Francis school personnel to send electronic letters, forms, and transcripts to colleges. All current students were shown how to use the program during the 2010-2011 school year. Students should log on using the user names and passwords they created when first introduced to Naviance. Parents of current seniors were emailed access codes last winter, but if they have not yet created a user name and password and have lost the access code, they may contact Mrs. Ellis at ext. 1142 to obtain the access code again. Mrs. Rigney will review the program with seniors in September and provide more training in the program for current juniors later this fall. If underclassmen or their parents wish to use the program, they may obtain the access code by contacting Mrs. Ellis.

The Naviance program already has password protected student information loaded into the system. When a student or parent logs onto the student account, he or she can complete a college search, create a resume, formulate a list of potential colleges, and check the college visit calendar. By clicking on acceptance history, scatter grams, college match, and college compare, the student can compare his or her academic credentials to the college’s acceptance history for St. Francis students from the class of 2006 through 2010. Once the student has applied to a college, the student can track when his or her transcript and recommendations were sent by St. Francis.

Beginning this fall, St. Francis will use the Naviance e-Docs program to send letters, forms and transcripts via Naviance and Docufide. Because of this change, it is essential that students and parents use the Family Connection by Naviance.

The Naviance program has many other great features and is an indispensable tool in the college search and application process. If students or parents have questions or problems in using the program, contact Mrs. Rigney, College Counselor, at ext. 1105.

Deadlines are approaching for seniors who need to take or retake their ACT and SAT tests. Parents who wish to stay on top of ACT and SAT deadlines should check the Junior and Senior College Information Dates and Deadlines flyer which was sent to all families in the summer mailing. All ACT and SAT test dates and registration deadlines are listed there. These dates are also listed on the Guidance and Counseling page of the St. Francis website. The first ACT test this fall will take place on September 10. If a student misses the late registration deadline of August 26, students can still do a walk-in/stand-by registration, but keep in mind that special procedures and extra charges are involved. The next ACT this year will take place on October 22 with a late registration deadline of September 30. If necessary, seniors can also take the December 10 ACT. Students should register for tests at www.act.org.

The first SAT offered this fall will be held on October 1 with a registration deadline of September 21. The next SAT after that is November 5. Seniors may also take the December 3 SAT. In addition, seniors who are applying to some highly selective colleges may be required to take the SAT Subject Tests which are offered on the same dates as the regular SAT. Students may register online at www.collegeboard.com.

Junior students usually begin testing with the December, January or February test dates. It is also important that juniors plan ahead to avoid conflicts with spring sports and activities. Also, all juniors should plan on taking the ACT or SAT at least two times before the end of junior year.

Since many colleges require that students take the ACT with Writing, the guidance department strongly recommends a junior always take the Writing section of the ACT (each time he or she takes the test). For details on ACT test content and requirements, students should pick up the booklet, Preparing for the ACT, which is available in the Student Services area. Students may also visit the testing company websites for more information.

If you are a parent of an incoming freshman or transfer student who has special needs or learning problems, we encourage you to contact your child’s counselor to discuss your child’s individual needs and determine what specific information you would like to have communicated to teachers.

If information on your child’s learning needs should have been forwarded from the child’s elementary school or junior high school, you may want to check with your child’s counselor to make sure this information was, in fact, sent to St. Francis. To explore this further, please contact Ms. Mary Kay Sullivan at ext. 1108.

Has your child had a very good experience when working with a particular tutor? If so, contact the Guidance and Counseling Department with the name and phone number of the tutor. We are always seeking additional tutors to add to our referral list. If you are seeking a professional tutor the Guidance Counselors can provide a short list of individual tutors, all of whom have passed a criminal background check. We can also provide a list of tutoring centers in the western suburbs.

Your child forgot his homework, so he wants you to drive it to school. He has not completed his English paper and asks you to let him stay home from school until he finishes it. Sound familiar? Teens aren’t always as responsible as we would like. Starting this school year, you can help your child develop the responsibilities he will need for the rest of his life.